Analysing the Russian Version of Schwartz Value Survey through Cognitive Interviews

This research was aimed at validating the Russian version of the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS) by means of cognitive interviews. The goal was to explore whether the respondents understand the values in the survey as the author intended them to be understood. The sample consisted of 20 subjects, of which 9 were (5 aged 15— 25 years, 1 aged 26—39, 3 aged 40—74) and 11 female (6 aged 15—25 years, 1 aged 26—39, 4 aged 40—74). The qualitative method of cognitive interview was used in the research and the following techniques employed: 'thinking aloud'; paraphrasing; classifying; assessing the respondent's confidence in his/her answers; further profound questions on exploring the respondent's understanding. The data obtained through the interviews revealed certain difficulties in understanding of the statements in the survey which is partly due to the translation issues and partly due to the cultural context. The outcomes of this qualitative analysis can be of much help in understanding the quantitative data. Also, the paper provides some recommendations for researchers working with the survey in its Russian version.

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